Billy Wilder's The Spirit of St. louis

Directed by Billy Wilder
USA 1957

Wilder bravely took on the challenge of making what is virtually a one-man film about Lindbergh's celebrated solo transatlantic flight in May 1927.

Most of the movie - very uncharacteristically for its director - takes place in the cockpit of the eponymous monoplane, alleviated by flashbacks from time to time. Stewart, though, at 47 too old for the role of the 25-year-old pilot, manages to hold the attention, but, in the end, the long film becomes almost as tedious as the flight that inspired it.

Excerpt from Channel 4 located HERE.

Poster

Theatrical Release: April 20th, 1957

Reviews More Reviews DVD Reviews

DVD Review: Warner Home Video - Region 1,2,3,4 - NTSC

DVD Box Cover

CLICK to order from:

Distribution

Warner Home Video - Region 1,2,3,4 - NTSC

Runtime

2:14:56

Video

2.35:1 Aspect Ratio
Average Bitrate: 5.99 mb/s
NTSC 720x480 29.97 f/s

NOTE: The Vertical axis represents the bits transferred per second. The Horizontal is the time in minutes.

Bitrate:

Audio

English (Dolby Digital 2.0), DUB: French (Dolby Digital 2.0)

Subtitles

English, French, Spanish, None

Features

Release Information:
Studio: Warner Home Video

Aspect Ratio:
Original Aspect Ratio 2.35:1

Edition Details:

• Premiere footage
• 'So Your Wife Wants to Work'
• 'Tabasco Road' Speedy Gonzales cartoon

DVD Release Date: August 15th, 2006
Keep Case
Chapters: 37

Comments:

Perhaps the best image of the entire James Stewart Signature Collection boxset. Anamorphic in the impressive 2.35 ratio, progressive with excellent muted colors.

Supplements include some Premiere footage, a short and a Speedy Gonzales cartoon with a politically correct racial warning.

The film is a bit of a chore but again Stewart's charisma carries the load. Nothing notable to distinguish Wilder as the director.

Gary W. Tooze

DVD Menus